The Dickinson press., 1887-04-09
OLD CURIOSITY SHOP.
A PLACE FULL OF STRANGE AND
VALUABLE ARTICLES.

W lSLCSs
Paintings Worth II Fortunc-Alcxandcr
Iamilt"n's Duciing ristols-A SOUTH
crn"r'> Mistakc--A Package of Dia-
tory of u Photograph.
"fes, ! have received many curious and
antique articles since / began business thirty
five years ago. said Robert Tagsart to Il re-
porter the other day. Mr.. Taggart is q pio-
lieer in the storage business and his establish
me!lt Is filled with Old objects, each of which
has on interesting history.
Now, among vast collection of fine paint
ings which | got i'll the course of bust
ness" continued Mr.. Taggart, "are two
which have been told time and again are
originals by Rubens. One represents the
alteration of the Saviour i'll the stable of
bethlehem. The subject of the other. | do
hot know, rs L have never met any one who
could tell mo. There is an inscrirtion on this
picture i'll one of tho dead languages, I be-
love, because | have never been able to find
any one learned! enough to translate it. The
picture represents Il queen OH II magnificent
throne giving orders apparently to some of
the royal guards"
How did You become possessed of the
rirtuvcs::' asked the reporter.
"lle day the first gun was fired at Fort
Sumter q gentleman who was very well
known here then and hated equally as we'll
for his avowed sympathy with the southern
cause came into my place and told me he i'll
tended going south and aiding the Confeler-
ates with his money and every way else he
could. He asked me to take his household
furniture on storage.
You won't have to keep them long" he
said. The south will win sure, and Ill re-
turn to New York, for / cam live anywhere
clse.'
NEVER CALLED COR.
~ took his furniture. but it has never been
called for. He raised u regiment south and
fell at Bull Run with his two sons at his side.
He had no near relatives to mourn his loss and
so l have his furniture still. The Rubcnses
were among his chattcls and also a picture of
Murillo, for which l had been offered $50, 900,
There is practically 10 price on the Rul,enses.
Besides these pictures mentioned / have as
fine q gallery of paintings us any connoisscur
would wish to look at. l have always been
fond of pictures and never tried to dispose of
any of them, although some of them would
bring fabulous prices.'
Among other articles which Mr.. Tagcart
showed to the reporter was IL pair of brauti.
1ul dueilnS pistols inlaid with solid gold and
silver, Which are the ones, MI. Taggart says,
used by Alexander Hamilton in his deadly
encounter with Burr on the Elysian fields,
Where Weclawken is now growing up. The
pistols We're once owned by Gen. Grant, but
they passed from him to another branch OF
the family, and finally came into the posses.
sion oil Il broadway jcwelci', who is unfor-
t%unately addicted to drink. During one of
his periodical sprees he placed the pistols,
with some other property, OH storage with
Mr.. TaSgart in order to raise money enough
to %ontinue his debauch. Ho mover called for
the weapons and the mans wife wants them
sold, as She says she hates to sec them lying
around the house when her husband is ON n
spree.
about two months ago." said Mr.. Tag
gart, "a well dressed middle aged man came
into my place and, handing INC a small
chamois bag, asked mo how much ] would
ask to keep it for him for IL day or two with.
out examining the contents. 'rwenty-fi five
cents l replied.
AN OUTRAGEOUS PRICE
"Wcll, sir, the fellow kicked like q mule.
He swore he wouldn't pay such an outrageous
price, and finally beat Inc down to twenty
cents for two days. Ncxtday a detective from
the Central Office canc i'll looking for such a
bag, and told mo the fellow who had left it
with mo was a famous western crook and
that he had him locked up in the T'ombs. /
went down there with the bag, which was
opened in presence of the judge and found to
contain diamonds valued at nearly slOO, 600.
1t surprised me that a man wishing and think
ing he could safely conceal such u plumber
would kick about the cost, especially when
You consider the little l asked him.
ooh, this is the saddcst thing l ever recol.
lect," continued Mr.. Taggart, as he showed
thereportera photograph of alaughing, fresh.
faced, curly haired girl. "Shc came into my
place one day about two years ago and put a
few little effects i'll storage. Next morning
She jumped from q %felryboat into the North
river. When her body was recovered my re-
ceipt for her furniture was all that was found
on her. l buried her and then proceeded to
trace her history. 1t was the old story. She
was tho darling daughter of II curate in a
little country town in the north of the state,
A city stranger met and wooed her secretly
and she finally consented to clope with him.
When they came to this city he deceived her
further by n mock marriage, and when he
finally deserted her she found outthathe wasa
gambler. Then she determined to kill herself.
Her sad end, which l could not help telling
her father and mother, broke their poor old
hearts and they soon followed her to the other
world"
Among many other curious things which
Mr.. Iaggart has are skeletons, collins, grand
fathers clocks, horses, sheep, COWS, in fact all
kinds of animals and fowl, and as Il curiosity
shop i'll every respect his place cannot be
beaten.-New York Journal Interview.